Recap: Roope Hintz goes off with two shorthanded goals in win over Blues

DALLAS --At least for one night, the best offense came from being shorthanded. That's what happened on Saturday when the Stars scored not once, but twice on the penalty kill to defeat the St. Louis Blues 4-1 in front of a raucous sellout crowd of 18,532 at American Airlines Center.

Both shorties came off the stick of Roope Hintz on nearly identical plays - 2-on-1s with Michael Raffl. Hintz' first goal of the night came at the 10:39 mark of the second period and his second one came 3:55 into the third to give the Stars a two-goal lead.

Hintz found himself in rare company with his two goals. He became just one of four players in franchise history to record two shorthanded goals in a game and the first player in Dallas Stars history (1993-present) to accomplish the feat. It also marked the first time it's ever been done on home ice.
The other three to record two shorthanded markers in a single game in franchise history were Neal Broten (Dec. 3, 1988 at Hartford), Dirk Graham (Nov. 19, 1986 at St. Louis) and Bill Collins (March 7, 1970 at Toronto).

The win was big in several ways. One, it was an emphatic bounce-back performance following one of their worst losses of the season. Second, it was a regulation victory against a divisional foe. If the Stars are to make headway in the standings, they're going to have to get it done against Central Division opponents.
Jake Oettinger was terrific in goal, stopping 35-of-36 shots for his second win in as many starts (2-0). He outdueled Blues netminder Jordan Binnington, who came in with a 6-4-2 record in 12 appearances this season.
The win improved Dallas' record to 7-7-2 (16 points) and marked its third victory over the past four games.
Jamie Benn also had a big night on the scoresheet, finishing with a goal, assist and three hits in 18:16 TOI. He went 8-of-13 on the dot (62%), but also committed back-to-back penalties, one of which led to Hintz' second goal of the night.
Ryan Suter opened the scoring early in the second period to give the Stars power-play goals in eight of their past nine games.

Benn's empty-net goal gave the Stars a three-goal cushion with 1:29 remaining in regulation.

Don't miss your chance to see the Stars continue their homestand next Tuesday on Hockey Fights Cancer Night against the Edmonton Oilers at 7:30 p.m. Get your tickets now!
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Kyle Shohara is the Digital Manager for DallasStars.com and writes about the Stars/NHL. Follow him on Twitter @kyleshohara.